Meiji Japan

BLACK SHIPS & SAMURAI...editorial cartoons

                     

Black Ships & Samurai, an essay by John Dower, documents U.S. commodore Matthew Perry's encounters in Japan in 1853 and 1854, largely through images produced by Japanese and American artists. In this activity, you will analyze the art produced by artists during this historic encounter to see how different artists captured the same or parallel events.

The Black Ships & Samurai Essay is divided into short illustrated sections.
For this activity, you will be focusing on particular sections of the Essay—
“Perry”; “Encounters: Facing East” and “Encounters: Facing West”; “Portraits”; or “Gifts”. 

- Read at least one section of the Essay.

- Select one piece of artwork (by a Japanese artist) that when analyzing can be viewed from a particular perspective of a scene, event, or person.

- Be sure to think how this image could be used as a form of Editorial/Political Bias (or even Propaganda) and hopefully in some form of satire with obvious historical context.

- As you are selecting an image from the assigned website: BLACKSHIPS AND THE SAMURAI,

consider the following questions and answer them in a Google doc
-(share with Ms. Peterson - jepeterson@educbe.ca):

What draws your attention to the image?

What makes it funny, or serious, AND what it is referring to?

Who does the image(s) appeal to?

What does this tell us about Japanese society? Japanese traditions? Japanese worldview? 

Math and science

Math

Complete practice 9.2 in your linear relations notebook.

Science

Complete questions 1-8 from Science Focus 8 page 207.

Humanities

HOMEWORK and due tomorrow - questions related to the movie, Spirited Away

Spirited Away movie questions:

1.      What was the theme or themes of this film? How did the director use the element of spirits to tell us a message? What were the messages? Was he successful in doing so?

2.      This movie was made using Japanese storytelling techniques and art design. Explain how the movie was something that could be understood and appreciated without knowing much about Japan?

3.      3. Do you think there were clear portrayals of good and evil in this movie? Why?

4.      How does the conception of spirits portrayed in this movie connect to Japanese culture? Provide examples of how it differs from your own or other cultural conceptions of spirits?

5.      What scenes portrayed usage of Japanese language and social customs such as bowing and honorific language? Why were they used in that occasion? What did they signify about Japanese culture?

6.      Each key character in the film faces a set of challenges. Use a chart to record what these problems are and how each character overcame them.

a.      Character: Chihiro and Haku

b.      What challenges did the character face?

c.       How did they resolve their challenges?

d.      Describe how the characters learned anything or changed over the course of movie.

7.      Chihiro’s character develops a lot throughout the film she stops being grumpy and selfish and becomes patience and learns to look after herself. At the end of the film she is excited about going to a new school and making new friends, is no longer frightened. Miyazaki based Chihiro on a real ten year old little girl do you think the character is believable? Are there any similarities between you and Chihiro? Do you agree with the action of Chihiro? What would you have done in Chihiro’s situation?

8.      This film was recommended by a student who indicated they felt it was a great connection to our Japan unit. Why would you recommend this film? Based on what you know, how would you explain to a teacher the connections between the film and Japanese history?

Today we continued work related to Japan but taking a closer look at Meiji Japan and we read a short story titled "Just Lather, That's All".

Contact and Change in Meiji Japan (ch. 15)
- work in Journals using textbook information for the following 7 big topics:
1. Commodore Perry - bio
2. Pressures from outside; strategies and responses (what/who, why, how, response from Japan)
- questions 1 and 2 found on pages 327-331
3. Pressures from within (pg.333)
4. Disorder and Civil War (pg.335)
5. New Ideas about government (pg. 336-340)
- Meiji (pg.337)
- Five Charter Oath (pg. 338)
- Oligarchy (p.339)
6. Education reform (pg. 340-342)
7. Industrialization (.pg. 343-348)

Just Lather, That's All - short story
Vocab: strop, feigned, faction, excursion, ineradicable, avenger AND 3 of your choice
- define it
- find it in the story
- explain it (connected to the story OR connected to you OR a visual representation)
Example:
Strop - a leather band for sharpening razors
- "I was passing the best of my razors back and forth on a strop."
- the barber needs to keep his razor sharp so he can shave the beards of his clients
or
- My grandfather uses a rock to sharpen various blades
or
- the movie Sweeny Todd featured a strop

Math and Science Work

Science

In class we have been investigating the concept of refraction.  Students completed two small investigations about refraction from the textbook.  The procedures to those investigations can be found on page 200 and 201.  The "What Did you Find Out",and "Analyse, Conclude, and Apply" question from page 200 and 201 are due tomorrow.

Math

In your Linear Relations notebook finish Example 3 and "Show you Know" from the first set of notes as well as practice pages 9.1.  This is due tomorrow

Monday

Today we started watching the movie Spirited Away.
- students have a question sheet that will be completed tomorrow after the movie

   

Science

Mirrors station 3 and 4 are due for Thursday.  The video is on D2L if you want to watch it again.

Edo: A Closed Society

Chapter 14

To be completed for tomorrow (students has 2 periods today to work on this)

1. B-THRILD handout (reading strategy for looking at the textbook)

- Bold words (vocabulary)

- Titles

- Headings

- Read

- Illustrations and extras

- Last Section

- Discussion Questions

Math Homework

For Monday please complete.
Pg 93 #12, 17
Pg 104 #3-11

Hum Homework for this evening

We only have 1 more class period to complete the following task: (which means everyone should be doing a little bit of homework this evening)

Create a chart showing members of feudal Japan and their roles within society. Charts should include (but NOT limited to) shoguns (leaders), samurai warriors, artisans, women, monks, merchants and farmers. 

Your chart needs to:
- State and explain society member’s role in society
- Explain daily routine with a minimum of three examples
- Explain the challenges of their lives with a minimum of three (3) examples
- Explain the advantages of their place in society with a minimum of three (3) examples

Helpful resources for Japan :-)

Japan resources

Commanding shoguns and fierce samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans—all were part of a Japanese renaissance between the 16th and 19th centuries when Japan went from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. But stability came at a price: for nearly 250 years, Japan was a land closed to the Western world, ruled by the shogun under his absolute power and control. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship with the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world. 

Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire

EPISODE ONE: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI
Tokugawa Ieyasu unifies Japan and establishes a dynasty that will rule Japan for over 250 years. 


EPISODE TWO: THE WILL OF THE SHOGUN
The grandson of Ieyasu, Tokugawa Iemitsu, tightens control over Japan's warlords and expels all foreigners. 


EPISODE THREE: THE RETURN OF THE BARBARIANS
Isolated from the West, 18th century Edo flourishes culturally and economically, becoming one of the liveliest cities in the world. But foreign forces are coming. 

May 5 - EDO JAPAN

Meet the People of Edo Japan

After becoming supreme ruler in the late 16th century, Tokugawa Ieyasu moved Japan's capitol to Edo, (now known as Tokyo) transforming the sleepy fishing village into the country's premier political and economic center. Ieyasu and his heirs forced the country's daimyo lords to finance the expansion of Edo, and to live in the city during part of every other year. The new construction of the city and the vast number of samurai in need of goods and pleasurable pursuits lured merchants, craftsmen and entertainers from all over Japan, and by the 17th century, the population had surpassed a million, making Edo one of the largest cities in the world. For almost three hundred years, Japan's shoguns maintained domestic peace while they isolated the country from Western influence. In Edo, a diverse population flourished amidst a cultural and economic renaissance. Meet the people of Edo! and meet more here!!


Your task:

In Google docs, create a chart showing members of feudal Japan and their roles within society. Charts should include (but NOT limited to) shoguns (leaders), samurai warriors, artisans, women, monks, merchants and farmers. 

Your chart needs to:
- State and explain society member’s role in society
- Explain daily routine with a minimum of three examples
- Explain the challenges of their lives with a minimum of three (3) examples
- Explain the advantages of their place in society with a minimum of three (3) examples 

Science and Math homework

Pg 85 #9-21 MathLinks 8 to be completed for homework tonight.

Humanities

We have completed our introduction to Japan by investigating origin stories and taking an in-depth look at how Japan's geography has shaped their unique identity.

- on Monday, students must hand in their journals and have scrapbook entry 1 completed (postcards and written task).
- on Wednesday, students will have an assessment connected too Japan's geography and Chapter 12.

Next week we will start looking at Edo Japan and rule under the Shogun.

In extending our learning about isolation - contact - change we have watched the The Village.